Takisanji Oni Festival

Festival highlights

The main highlight is the fire festival held toward the end of the event.

People carrying blazing torches and 3 oni circle the outer worship area and corridors of the main hall, surrounded by the sounds of hand bells, drums, a shōban gong, and conch shells.

The oni appear holding a large kagami mochi, and there is also a scene in which the grandchild oni is lifted onto the corridor railing.

Sparks and sound combine to create a distinctive ritual setting.

Source: 国指定文化財等データベース

Ta-asobi and the oni dance: Okazaki’s prayers passed down amid flames

What to expect

On the day of the festival, the procession of giant torches and the Twelve Attendants sets out from the Sanmon Gate and heads to the grounds of Takisanji.

It is followed by a taiko drum offering, Buddhist services, the naginata ceremonial performance, a memorial service at the Oni Mound, and the garden festival.

At the garden festival, people act out farming tasks such as plowing, puddling the fields, sowing seeds, and transplanting rice seedlings. Finally, 3 oni appear in the fire festival.

The event runs from afternoon into the evening.

Source: 瀧山寺 鬼祭り｜天下の奇祭！瀧山寺鬼祭り｜特集｜岡崎おでかけナビ - 岡崎市観光協会公式サイト

How to take part

The festival is organized primarily by those involved, including the preservation association made up of Taki-cho residents, the Twelve Men, and the masked participants.

The masked participants are selected from among local men and elementary-school-age boys. In the period leading up to the festival, they observe ritual purification, including abstaining from meat.

However, visitors can watch the procession, Buddhist services, garden festival, and fire festival.

Location and access

Venue and address

Takisanji Temple’s main hall and grounds (107 Yamagomori, Taki-cho, Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture).

The Great Torch and Twelve Men procession starts at Takisanji Temple’s Sanmon Gate and travels on foot to the area below the main hall.

Train and bus

From Higashi-Okazaki Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line, take a Meitetsu Bus bound for Onuma or a similar service and get off at Takisanji-shita.

February 21, 2026, additional services from Higashi-Okazaki Station are also listed, and the journey takes about 22 minutes.

By car

About 10 minutes from the Okazaki IC on the Tomei Expressway.

Parking

Takisanji Temple has no parking for regular vehicles on the day of the festival. Ryuhoku Sports Park in Okazaki is opened as a temporary parking area, with shuttle buses running to the venue.

The shuttle bus fare is 230 yen one way for adults and 120 yen for children.

Address 107 Takigomori, Taki-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-3173

Open in Google Maps

Dates and season

2026 Event Information (The listed dates have passed)

The 2026 event was listed for February 21 (Saturday), with the procession of giant torches and the Twelve Attendants starting at 3 p.m.

From the evening, Buddhist services, the naginata ceremonial performance, a memorial service at the Oni Mound, and the garden festival followed; the fire festival was scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m., with the event ending at 8 p.m.

The festival is held on a Saturday close to day 7 of lunar month 1.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

During the fire festival, torches burn and the grounds become extremely hot. If you watch from the front, take care around the flames and intense heat.

Takisanji Temple has no parking for regular vehicles on the day of the festival, and visitors are directed to take buses from the temporary parking area.

The procession travels from the Sanmon Gate to the area below the main hall, and traffic restrictions are also in effect nearby before and after it passes.

You can watch not only the fire festival, but also the procession and garden festival, which begin in the afternoon.

Nearby attractions

Takisanji, where the festival is held, has a Treasure Hall where visitors can see treasures dating back to the Kamakura period, including a triad of statues associated with Minamoto no Yoritomo.

Admission to the Treasure Hall is ¥500.

The temple grounds also include Takisan Tōshōgū Shrine, one of the places where the festival’s naginata ceremonial performance takes place.

The festival is an opportunity to explore the history and culture around Takisanji.

Castles and historic sitesOkazaki City

岡崎城

愛知県の城

Visit the official page ↗ⓘ Photo and data sources

Photo and data sources×

写真：Akonnchiroll / CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo source ·

Facility data source

Attractions in the same municipality. Check each attraction’s official website for travel distances from the venue and current opening information.

Origins and History of Takisanji Oni Festival

The festival is said to have originated with a prayer by Minamoto no Yoritomo.

After being discontinued for a time during the Muromachi period, it was revived in 1647, during the time of Tokugawa Iemitsu, and came to be held on a grand scale as an event of the shogunate.

The festival was suspended in the early Meiji period, but local residents brought it back in 1888.

The festival as held today has been passed down without major changes to the structure and actions recorded in early modern documents.

Official information

The Okazaki City official website presents the Takisanji Oni Festival as a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

You can check basic information such as the event period, festival program, location, and preservation society.

Information for 2026 on transportation and shuttle buses on the festival date is provided in a special notice from the Okazaki City Tourism Association.

Takisanji Oni Festival at a Glance

The Takisanji Oni Festival is a traditional event in Okazaki City centered on prayers for a bountiful harvest through ta-asobi and a fire festival featuring 3 oni.

From afternoon into the evening, the event proceeds from a procession of giant torches beginning at the Sanmon Gate, to the garden festival, and then to the fire festival, where oni circle amid blazing torches.

The 2026 event is listed for February 21, and public transportation or the shuttle bus is a convenient way to reach the venue.